How to Look After Your Flowers

A little care goes a long way with fresh flowers. With the right water, a clean vase, and the right spot in your home, most bouquets will stay looking lovely for a week or more. Here's how our Bulimba florists keep fresh flowers at their best, so you can enjoy yours for as long as possible.

Start With a Clean Vase and Fresh Water

Bacteria is the enemy of a long-lasting bouquet, so begin with a spotless vase. Wash it in warm, soapy water and rinse well before you arrange anything. Fill it with cool, fresh water, and if your flowers arrived with a sachet of flower food, stir it through. That little packet feeds the blooms and helps keep the water clear.

When your flowers arrive freshly cut from our seasonal flowers collection, unwrap them gently and give them a drink straight away. A few minutes of care at the start makes all the difference over the days that follow.

Trim the Stems on an Angle

Before the stems go in the vase, trim two to three centimetres off the bottom of each one. Cut on a sharp angle with clean scissors or a knife, which gives the flower a larger surface to draw water through and stops the stem sitting flat against the base of the vase.

Re-trimming every couple of days helps enormously. Stems naturally seal over and slow their drinking, so a fresh cut opens them up again. While you're there, top up the vase and take a moment to arrange your blooms in a vessel that suits them. Our range of flower vases includes shapes to hold everything from a loose garden gathering to a tall, structured arrangement.

Keep the Water Clean

Change the water every two days, or sooner if it starts to look cloudy. Each time, give the vase a quick rinse, refill with cool water, and add more flower food if you have it. Clean water keeps bacteria at bay and is one of the simplest ways to add days to your bouquet's life.

Strip away any leaves that sit below the waterline, too. Submerged foliage breaks down quickly, muddies the water, and shortens the life of the whole arrangement.

Choose the Right Spot

Where you place your flowers matters as much as how you water them. Flowers last longest somewhere cool and out of direct sun. In Brisbane's warm, humid climate, that's worth keeping in mind, especially through summer. To help your blooms stay fresh:

• Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from hot windowsills
• Move them clear of heating and air-conditioning vents, which dry petals out
• Set them away from the fruit bowl, as ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers
• Bring them somewhere cool overnight if you'd like to stretch out their best days

A Few Blooms Need Special Attention

Most flowers are happy with the same simple care, but a few have their own quirks. Woody stems like lilac or hydrangea appreciate a deeper drink. Daffodils release a sap that can shorten the life of other flowers, so give them their own vase for the first day. If you've chosen lilies, gently pinch out the pollen-heavy stamens once the blooms open. This keeps the petals clean and prevents pollen marks on your table or clothes.

Softer, classic arrangements like our Classic Whites bouquet reward this gentle attention with days of elegant, fresh colour.

Enjoy Every Day of the Bloom

Caring for flowers isn't complicated. A clean vase, a fresh angled cut, regular water changes, and a cool spot away from the sun will see most bouquets through a full week and often longer. Flowers are one of life's simple pleasures, and a few minutes of care each day lets you enjoy yours right to the very last petal.

When you're ready for the next arrangement, our florists craft fresh bouquets each morning, ready to brighten your home or someone else's day.